Nation celebrates Pakistan Day as PM, president invoke 'spirit of service'.

As the nation celebrates Pakistan Day on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Dr Arif Alvi paid homage to the 'relentless struggle' of the founding fathers of the country.

Pakistan Day commemorates the passing of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940, when the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate nation for the Muslims of the British Indian Empire.

According to Radio Pakistan, the day started off with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in the provincial capitals.

A change of guards ceremony was also held at the mausoleums of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal in Karachi and Lahore, respectively.

Special prayers were offered in mosques after Fajr prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country.

However, the Pakistan Day Military Parade of the Armed Forces at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, scheduled to be held today, has been postponed till Saturday (March 25) due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, the prime minister, president and other leaders conveyed their greetings and congratulated the nation.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also conveyed his well-wishes to the citizens on the occasion.

In a tweet today, he wished for the country to 'grow, prosper and thrive in peace and harmony consistent with the vision of our founding fathers'.

Let us awaken the spirit of service to the nation: PM

PM Shehbaz felicitated the nation on the occasion, saying that today was a reminder that no matter what the challenges, human will was capable of attaining the impossible.

'Today the nation pays homage to Pakistan's founding fathers for their political wisdom, sagacity and determination to wage a relentless struggle for a separate homeland,' the premier tweeted.

'Living nations put themselves to rigorous audit by comparing their performance to the ideals. This is their way of introspection and accountability,' he said and expressed 'unwavering faith' in the idea of the country defeating the odds.

'On 23rd March today, let us awaken the spirit of service to nation,' the PM added.

Earlier, in a message to the nation, PM Shehbaz described March 23 as an 'epoch-making day in our national history', saying that it reminds us of our past, invites us to ponder over our present state of affairs and inspires us to build a prosperous future.

He said this day is also the day to renew our pledges and takes us back to 1940 when Muslims of the sub-continent approved a resolution for the establishment of a separate...

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